World
UN warns of humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon amid Israel-Hezbollah war
UNICEF and WFP call for support for hundreds of thousands displaced by fighting, with women and children bearing the brunt.
United Nations agencies have called for an urgent increase in funding to deal with the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Lebanon as the Israeli military continues its offensive against Hezbollah.
UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned in a joint statement on Tuesday that the fighting, which has displaced hundreds of thousands in Lebanon, has “triggered a catastrophe”.
“We are preparing for the reality that the needs are increasing,” the agencies said. “We need additional funding, without conditionalities.”
Lebanese officials have said 1.2 million people have been affected by the conflict, in which Israel has conducted air attacks on Beirut and many other parts of Lebanon, as well as sending ground troops into the south.
“Around 1.2 million people have been affected, with a significant impact on vulnerable communities,” the statement cautioned. “Nearly 190,000 displaced individuals are currently sheltered in over 1,000 facilities, while hundreds of thousands more are seeking safety among family and friends.”
In addition, hundreds of thousands have crossed into Syria, the statement notes, further complicating the humanitarian response.
The UN agencies say they are working to deliver vital support. WFP is meeting the needs of approximately 200,000 people daily with ready-to-eat food and cash.
UNICEF said it is delivering essential support to children and families, including primary healthcare, water and hygiene kits, mattresses and blankets, and psychosocial support services, in cooperation with the Lebanese government.
The agency has warned of a “lost generation” in Lebanon, saying 400,000 children have been displaced in the three weeks since major hostilities broke out.
Women and children
There is growing concern regarding the effects of Israeli attacks, which its military insists targets Hezbollah facilities, on civilians.
The human rights office on Tuesday reported that the majority of 22 people killed in a strike on the northern village of Aito on Monday were women and children, and called for a “prompt, independent and thorough investigation”.
“What we are hearing is that amongst the 22 people killed were 12 women and two children,” a spokesperson said, adding that this raises “real concerns with respect to … the laws of war and principles of distinction, proportion and proportionality”.
An official from the UN Refugee Agency said new Israeli evacuation orders to 20 villages in southern Lebanon meant that more than a quarter of the country was affected.
“People are heeding these calls to evacuate, and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she said.
Meanwhile, the fighting shows little sign of abating.
The Israeli army reported on Tuesday it launched 200 strikes across Lebanon in the past 24 hours as it expanded its attacks against Hezbollah.
The Lebanese group also said it carried out a rocket attack targeting the suburbs of Tel Aviv overnight.
Iranians mourning the country’s supreme leader condemned U.S. strikes that Washington called retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. At a tightly controlled state funeral in Mashhad — one of Iran’s most conservative cities, where opponents of the government were unlikely to be found in the crowd — mourners voiced defiance and called for revenge.
World
Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights
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A devastating double-aviation crisis in the Bahamas, including a deadly North Andros plane crash and a separate aircraft fire on Friday, prompted the government to suspend flight operations for a local airline and launch a federal safety probe.
Shortly after 1 p.m. local time Friday, a Cessna 402 aircraft with Bahamian registration departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau bound for San Andros Airport.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the plane “encountered difficulties” and crashed into bushes prior to landing.
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Authorities said 10 people were killed in a Bahamas plane crash on Friday. (Our News Bahamas via AP)
First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the dense brush where the aircraft went down.
The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed in a statement Saturday that 10 people died in the crash, including prominent members of the “The Pond Band” and a local DJ, whose artistry the union said “touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas.”
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage.
“Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,” Davis wrote in a statement on X. “We are also praying for the survivor, whose recovery and care will remain in our thoughts.”
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The identities of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.
While the AAIA’s preliminary reports initially indicated seven people were on board, officials are still establishing the facts of the flight manifest.
Just hours before the fatal crash in North Andros, a Flamingo Air flight en route to Mayaguana was forced to turn back to Nassau after the pilot reported a concern, according to the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation (MoET).
After the aircraft landed and passengers safely deplaned, the plane caught fire on the runway.
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FILE – The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate following two aircraft incidents Friday. (iStock)
Following the two back-to-back safety incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate, according to MoET officials.
“The suspension is a precautionary safety measure and should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air,” the agency wrote in a statement.
FILE – The plane crashed in North Andros on Friday after taking off from Lynden Pindling International Airport. (Melissa Alcena/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB remain at the scene in North Andros as they work to determine what caused the Cessna 402 tragedy.
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Flamingo Air did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published on •Updated
Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu nominated businessman Vasile Tofan on Saturday as the country’s next prime minister to replace Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned earlier this month over differences with the ruling majority.
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In a video posted to social media, Sandu said Tofan’s primary responsibility, after his candidacy is approved by the country’s parliament, would be to move the country further towards its path of “integration” into the European Union.
He should also “strengthen the resilience of state institutions and society”, and “revive the economy”, added Sandu.
The Moldovan businessman now has two weeks to secure parliamentary backing, a prospect he hopes to achieve after submitting his government programme and his ministerial cabinet nominations.
Tofan had been mentioned as a possible prime minister last year even before the appointment of Munteanu.
Igor Grosu, who heads Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) which won the last parliamentary elections in September, announced on Friday that he had selected him as his candidate to replace the outgoing premier.
He said Tofan shared “the same objectives” as him and PAS, specifying that “EU accession in the years to come, institutional reform and economic growth”, were among the biggest points of agreement.
The nominee for prime minister, who graduated Harvard Business School and turns 44 on Sunday, has a degree in public management from the Netherlands and is a managing partner at Horizon Capital, a private equity firm with assets primarily in Ukraine and Moldova.
He has also chaired the board of directors of Moldova’s Purcari winery, considered the crown jewel of the country’s winemaking sector.
Munteanu, another businessman who like Sandu previously worked at the World Bank, had been chosen to boost the economy and bring it closer to the EU, but turbulence with PAS saw him vacate his post less than a year into holding office.
He resigned on 3 July after less than eight months, stating that he could no longer carry out his mandate “according to (his) principles and (his) convictions”.
The EU last month officially launched a first round of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Both countries became official EU candidate countries on 23 June 2022.
Additional sources • AFP
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